Mercury: A tribute to Rock Royalty.

Few bands in rock history have left a legacy as flamboyant as Queen. With Freddie Mercury as frontman, Queen redefined the stadium act, fusing showmanship and different genres of music. Formed in 1998, Mercury has captivated many audiences with their stage presence and musicality. Fronted by lead vocalist Joseph Jackson, their first paid gig was in 1999, where a promoter flew over from Majorca to see them perform as a tribute for the Summer season, marking the start of a long and successful journey. “We ended up being in Majorca for three months, we did three summer seasons in all and performed six nights a week,” said Jackson. 

Mercury is committed to the recreation of the Queen live experience. Over the years, Joseph Jackson (Freddie Mercury) and Glen Scrimshaw, who plays Brian May, have invested a lot of money in costumes and equipment to replicate the full look of the rock band. “Glenn has three replicas of the red special guitar and three replicas of the Brian May VOX AC30 amp.” When the tribute started, it was difficult to learn Freddie Mercury’s movements and style of performing, as there was hardly any footage to watch. “It’s a little bit easier now, as you have YouTube where there are so many uploads of concerts from Bootleg to original shows.” Jackson had a VHS recording of Queen live, which he played constantly to learn Freddie’s performance.

While authenticity remains central to Mercury’s success, they are careful not to lose their identity as musicians in their own right. “I think I’m quite grounded regarding the fandom aspect. I mean it’s already been done on a grander scale than we do it. For the 2 hours we are on stage, though it’s important to be faithful to the music and the legacy of Queen.” For anyone who has never had the chance to see Queen live or those huge fans who want to celebrate their music, ‘Mercury’ offers the next best thing. 

The setlists include hits like ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Radio Gaga’, ‘Somebody to Love’, and ‘We Will Rock You’, packed full of audience participation. Jackson spoke about how Freddie’s persona on stage was exaggerated and larger than life, “So for me it’s just like taking a role that you would play in a film or theatre show. I get to meet some of the audience members after shows, and it’s lovely to hear their comments about our performance.”

Authenticity is at the forefront of the tribute bands’ success, Mercury has experienced career-defining highlights through touring. “Over the years, we’ve had some really amazing gigs,” says Jackson. “Playing to 40-50,000 people in Liverpool, meeting and performing for Queen’s Roger Taylor and Brian May, and even Freddie’s mum and sister.” However, not all stages are glamorous. Jackson admits how festivals and the UK weather are tough shows to perform: “The worst gigs are sometimes the festivals. You know what British weather’s like – you’re playing outside in July and it feels like November.” Beyond the setting of the performances, it has individual challenges. “Because it’s a continuous tour, it’s a challenge at most gigs. From lighting, different sizes of stages, and all the other tech stuff, and different types of audiences- it keeps us on our toes.”

Mercury is more than a tribute act, it’s a celebration of music and a homage to one of the greatest acts in rock history. What sets them apart from other tribute acts is their precision and care throughout 25 years, and their commitment to authenticity. Their performance is crafted the capture the essence of a theatrical Queen concert, bringing Freddie Mercury to life on stage again. For frontman Joseph Jackson and his bandmates, it’s about creating a show that’s dynamic and exciting for audience members. “We just want to take audiences back for two hours to have a good time,” Jackson says. “To hear music performed at a quality level, to teach younger audience members what a Queen show was like. From the audience participation, the hand claps in ‘Radio Gaga’ and ‘We Will Rock You,’ and everything in between, it’s about having an awesome night of nostalgia.” Mercury delivers a performance that is as close to the real journey through one of music’s iconic discographies. The intention is to honour Queen’s legacy while giving audiences a great night to remember.